A Generous Gift From Yuong Sang Church

On October 16, 2016, Yuong Sang Presbyterian Church held an inauguration service for their new senior pastor Rev. Greg Paek. During this celebratory evening, the church generously presented a $300,000 gift to Dr. Peter A. Lillback, president of Westminster Theological Seminary. This gift will act as seed capital for the residence halls in Westminster’s new campus plan.

Fulbright Scholar Cephas Tushima Visits Westminster

Westminster is honored to welcome Dr. Cephas Tushima to our campus this month. Dr. Tushima, a Westminster alumnus (Ph.D. ‘09), currently serves at Jos ECWA Theological Seminary (JETS) in Jos, Nigeria, and is visiting the U.S. for one year on a Fulbright Scholarship.

Westminster is honored to welcome Dr. Cephas Tushima to our campus this month. Dr. Tushima, a Westminster alumnus (Ph.D. ‘09), currently serves at Jos ECWA Theological Seminary (JETS) in Jos, Nigeria, and is visiting the U.S. for one year on a Fulbright Scholarship.

A program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Scholarship-in-Residence program is a distinguished honor, with 800 scholarships granted annually. The goal of the Fulbright program is to increase mutual understanding and support friendly and peaceful relations between people in the U.S. and other countries.

Dr. Tushima’s Fulbright Scholarship was granted through Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA. As part of this program, Dr.Tushima will travel around the country speaking at a variety of graduate institutions—we are grateful that Westminster is one of them.

While he is here on October 20th, Dr. Tushima will lecture in Dr. Iain Duguid’s Old Testament History and Theology class, discussing a culturally unique approach to Genesis 3. Dr. Duguid is looking forward to the fresh, cultural perspective that Tushima will bring to his students. “I think this will be a really rich educational experience for the students to see what a familiar passage of Scripture means through a different cultural context,” said Duguid.

While on campus, Dr. Tushima will also speak and spend time with students at the Global Mission Fellowship. If you are on campus, come hear him speak about the church in Nigeria and ask questions about his ministry.

Since he returned to Nigeria after completing his Ph.D. at Westminster, Dr. Tushima has sought to equip his fellow Nigerians with the skills they need to preach the Word of God biblically and winsomely. Founded in 1990 by the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA), JETS is one of a handful of schools in Nigeria that offer graduate-level programs in theology. Dr. Tushima serves the seminary as the Deputy Provost of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Biblical Studies. In addition, Tushima travels around Nigeria hosting preaching conferences with the aim of training both pastors and lay leaders to preach and shepherd their congregations effectively.

Along with his extensive experience in preaching and teaching, Dr. Tushima has written and published multiple scholarly papers, articles, and ebooks, including his doctoral dissertation, “The Fate of Saul’s Progeny in The Reign of David” (Cambridge: James Clark & Co., 2012).

When he isn’t teaching, preaching, or writing, Dr. Tushima is advocating for theological education in Nigeria. Dr. Tushima presides over an association of theological institutions that is seeking to have a bill passed through the Nigerian Congress to provide accreditation of theological programs throughout the country.

We have been honored to receive regular updates on Dr. Tushima’s ministry in Nigeria over the past few years, and we are very pleased to be able to welcome him back to campus to speak to our students. Mark your calendars for October 20, 2016!

Witmer to Retire in September, 2017

After twenty years of dedicated service to Westminster Theological Seminary, Dr. Timothy Z. Witmer, Professor of Practical Theology, will retire in September 2017. He will be transitioning to full-time pastoral ministry at St. Stephen Reformed Church (PCA) in New Holland, PA, a church that, by God’s grace, he led from the UCC to the PCA.

Doctor of Ministry in Preaching

Westminster is excited to introduce a new Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in preaching. In the words of professor R. Kent Hughes, the preaching concentration “makes good preachers better.” The program is designed to enable pastors to hone their Christ-centered hermeneutic, enhance their biblical exposition skills, and inculcate an expository methodology.

CCEF Partnership Takes On New Forms

CCEF and WTS have engaged in strategic planning, focusing on their respective missions, goals, and opportunities. What has emerged in our discussions is a vision for online education. CCEF and WTS are excited about these changes.